LSU Health Shreveport revealed its new Center for Medical Education on Dec. 11. The $79-million facility is the campus’ first new building since 2008.
Over 400 people attended the unveiling of the two-and-a-half-year construction project, according to a news release from LSU Health Shreveport. The center was created to “enhance the educational experience and interdisciplinary collaboration for students and faculty across the Schools of Allied Health Professions, Graduate Studies, and Medicine,” the release said.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards celebrated the opening as a win for not just the university but for Louisiana.
“An investment in Louisiana’s healthcare and scientific workforce is a win for our entire state, which is why the opening of the Center of Medical Education at LSU Health Shreveport is such an important achievement,” Gov. Edwards said, according to the news release.
Gov. Edwards, LSU President William F. Tate IV and LSU Health Shreveport Chancellor Dr. David Guzick all spoke at the unveiling. After their speeches, guests were given the chance to tour and experience the new medical education center.
The new center is focused on promoting “collaborative and hands-on learning,” according to the release.The building houses a large, in-the-round auditorium that seats 500 students and two classrooms that seat 250. There are also 27 smaller classrooms, study rooms and areas for practicing whatever field a student focuses on.
The building has four separate levels with different classrooms, facilities, labs and centers. On every floor, there are active learning classrooms for collaboration when learning and developing problem-solving skills and critical thinking.
The first floor has instructional classrooms, the Bakowski Center for Culinary Medicine, a fitness zone and an Oschsner activity center.
The Center for Medical Education was created with the help of hundreds of donors and the state of Louisiana.
Dr. Guzick, in the news release, expressed gratitude to the governor, who he said “supported our vision from idea to fruition.”
“He, along with our state delegation, immediately understood the immense impact the Center for Medical Education would have on our region and state and made the tremendous investments required to ensure that LSU Health Shreveport and Louisiana remain leaders in medical and scientific education,” Dr. Guzick said.
The center will begin occupancy in January, with plans to be completely functional and in use by spring 2024.
On its website, LSU Health Shreveport made viewing the Center for Medical Education available from anywhere. The virtual tour travels all over the center. With a sleek design featuring glass walls and high ceilings, is a modern style that allows for an open look into the building.
